I See You
by SwingDancer
Summary: Starts AU from the Accident, Michael is AU from 2009. Couples are Michael and Starr. Two strangers find HOPE,Love and a journey together in the end they only have One LIfE TO LIVE @ GENERAL HOSPITAL   PLS REVIEW
1. Chapter 1

I SEE YOU

Disclaimer:

I do not own General Hospital if I did Michael and Starr would be the main couple of the show! Please continue to support GH we have to fight to keep our show alive. I love Michael and Starr as a couple, and since Michael is my favorite character I have several ideas for story prompts, so if anyone is interested in collaborating please drop me a line.

I support RC/FV in their fight to SAVE GH, and I welcome the OLTL characters to the show, with open arms.

This story begins from the crash and goes from there, but Michael is AU from 2009.

SAVE GH SAVE THE WORLD!

I SEE YOU LEONA LEWIS Theme song from avatar.

**It was a beautiful spring day in May, the Cherry Blossom trees had come to life and matched perfectly with the Queen Elizabeth Roses that were in full bloom within Lila's garden. **

_I see you_

_I see you_

**The white garden chairs were arraigned with precision and care. Perfectly aligned and traditionally set with the Bride side on the left and the Groom's side on the left. **

_Walking through a dream_

_I see you_

_My light in darkness breathing hope of new life_

_Now I live through you and you through me_

_I pray in my heart that this dream never ends_

**Starr was upstairs in the bridal suite wearing a beautiful full princess ball gown by Pnina Tornai. Hand made of beautiful silk satin, with a sweet heart neckline, empire waist, Swarovski crystals, and a soft bow in the back. **(I have enclosed a link below with a picture of the dress) ** Starr looked around the room, her mother Blair, and Michael's mother Carly were making martini's and drinking to their children's marriage (honestly, if there was a way they could grab their kids and get the hell out of this house, without ANYBODY getting married, that would be ideal.) Starr, smiled and shook her head, she watched as her best friend Langston, fixed the bottom of her dress, while her sister Dani, was combing out her veil. Behind her, Michael's sister's Kristina, Molly, and his cousins, Brooklyn, Zoey Ward, and Lila Rae were wearing their bridesmaid dresses, and were finishing getting ready. Next to her Maxie, was running around making sure that the day ran according to plan, and her sister Georgie, Dillon's wife, was almost as big as a house Starr had to reward Georgie with the honorable position as maid of honor for squeezing into the dress she picked out in the heat of summer. wow she remembered those days. Was she going to get that big…again.**

_I see me through your eyes_

_Living through life flying high_

_Your life shines the way into paradise_

_So I offer my life as a sacrifice_

_I live through your love_

**Starr put her hand on her stomach, **_**not much longer**__**now, **_**she was lucky to fit into her wedding dress. Michael knew, but that was about it. She did not want to tell anyone else, the wedding was chaotic enough. Starr looked down at her beautiful daughter, **_**our daughter, who was about to become a big sister. **_**Hope, giggled at her mommy, and then ran out of the room and towards her **_**daddy, **_**after all she was daddy's little princess. **

_You teach me how to see_

_All that's beautiful _

_My senses touch your word I never pictured_

_Now I give my hope to you'll surrender?_

**Michael was wearing a grey suit vest with a crisp clean white shirt with the collar sharply pressed, with one button undone. He adjusted the cuff links that his Great Grandfather had given him to wear on his wedding day. The same ones that he, Edward Quartermaine had worn when he had married his beloved Lila. It was only fitting that Michael where them on his wedding day to his shining Starr. Michael looked around the room, his cousin Dillon, his best man, was wearing a black tuxedo, and was fixing Morgan's tie. Starr's brother Jack was a grooms man along with Matt, Marko, and little Sammy was going to be their ring bearer. He knew that his dad was somewhere around the mansion with Jason, but with Todd, and John Mcbain wandering around, it was not to ask where he EXACTLY was. The doors burst open, and instead of his mother coming to try and either talk him out of it or attempt to abduct him (again, its best not to ask when his mother is concerned) it was his little princess running towards him in a miniature version of her mother's dress just instead of the silk satin, the skirt was made of tool and there were little cap sleeves. Hope ran towards her daddy and he lifted her into his arms. Blue eyes met blue eyes. She wrapped her arms around her father's neck, she giggled and he gave her a big kiss. Michael knew very well that he was not Hope's biological father but that did not matter. He was her father in every sense of the word. Before Starr and Hope, Michael's life was like a black hole. He was lost in a world of despair, he felt so alone, than 'his Starr' burst into his orbit and brought him 'Hope'. **

_I see me through your eyes_

_Living through life flying high_

**Everyone took their places Michael, at the alter with Dillon, Morgan, Jack, Matt, and Marko, by his side. **

_Your love shines the way into paradise_

_So I offer my life_

_I offer my love, for you_

**Hope walked down the aisle dropping pedals from roses from both Lanefair and Lila's garden at the Quartermaine mansion. But she got tired, of that and ran down the aisle and jumped in to her daddy's arms, gave him a kiss then climbed down and ran towards her grandma Monica's and sat on her lap, next to Grampa Alan. **

_When my heart was never open_

_(and my spirit never free)_

_To the world that you have shown me_

_But my eyes could not division_

_All the colours of love and of life ever more_

_Evermore_

**The guests rose and turned their heads to the back of the room, and watched Todd walk his shining Starr down the aisle. Sure it may have taken some threatening on her part to get Todd to actually give his little girl away including walking herself down the aisle or having Jack do it. But Todd eventually gave in. **

_(I see me through your eyes)_

_I see me through your eyes_

_(Living through life flying high)_

_Flying high_

_Your love shines the way into paradise_

_So I offer my life as a sacrifice_

_And live through your love_

_And live through your life_

**They kissed and were finally Husband and Wife.**

_I see you_

_I see you_

**Was it real or was it all a dream?**

Michael sat straight up in bed, and looked around, he had dozed off in one of the on call rooms again. He wiped his face with his hand to relieve some of the tension that had been building up inside

His dream was just too perfect, surrounded by his family, a beautiful woman, a child, a family of his very own. Could it be that he was indeed worthy of Happily Ever After?

Or was it all just a dream

**Meanwhile, a chariot, I mean a car was approaching Port Charles, carrying a shining Starr and glimmer of Hope…**


	2. Chapter 2

PRESENT February 27th 2012

_Another Friday Night in the exciting life of Michael Alan Corrinthos-Quartermaine._

Michael told himself as he finished filling out the last page of his report for what seemed like the millionth patient he had brought into the ER, for something really stupid.

Michael re-read his report and shook his head when he realized _WOW so this is how I spent my Friday night._

Port Charles General Hospital Ambulance #25 approached the house at 1837 White Creast Lane at approx. 3:25 pm Eastern Standard Time. Paramedic Michael Alan Corrinthos Quartermaine responded to a trapped victim call. Forced entrance with victim trapped upstairs. Paramedic called out and announced their arrival on the scene, in order to find the injured party. The paramedic found the 'victim' in the bathroom.

The patient's hand was stuck in the toilet after dropping his cell phone in the toilet. When the individual reported having no pain or numbness, and was fully responsive to stimulus. Paramedic Corrinthos-Quartermaine then asked the individual if they were able to remove their hand. The individual responded yes, but refused to do so the fear of losing their phone. When they were threatened. DELETE DELETE. _It would be a bad idea to suggest that I threatened him,_ Michael chuckled to himself., when Paramedic Corrinthos-Quartmaine suggested that amputation was the only other option, the individual than removed their hand from the toilet rather swiftly. When Paramedic Corrinthos-Quartermaine asked how the patient managed to dial 911 with their hand in the toilet, the patient responded that when he realized that he had dropped his phone in the toilet, he ran into the other room, dialed 911 then tried again to retrieve it hoping that the first responders would retrieve it- for no charge. The paramedic than informed him to call for a plumber and that emergency medical services ARE FOR THOSE IN NEED OF ACTUAL MEDICAL ATTENTION! Also that to place a 911 call for a false emergency is actually a crime that he could be charged for and served with a heavy fine.

Michael just shook his head in frustration, sometimes it just seemed so tedious between the paperwork and the people that called 911 for false or over exacerbated emergencies. Like the old lady who used to call everyday to have the paramedics come over to get her cat out of a tree or some other fake injury because she was lonely. It is people like that who make his work difficult and give busy work to paramedics when they should be on constant standby for real emergencies. Having to rush from a bogus 911 call to an actual emergency is frustrating. That got him thinking about the toughest night of his paramedic career, the night Jake Webber, had walked out the front door when his mother was not paying attention, and was hit by a car, in a hit and run accident, and the driver had still not been caught. Despite his best efforts to get Jake to the hospital as fast as he could and give him the best possible care. Michael had been unable to save the biological child of the man that had raised him and had always been a second father to him. Of course he did not know that Jake was Jason's son, he only found out later from his grandparents Monica and Alan.

Sure filling out reports on a Friday night when other young people his own age would be at house parties or trying to sneak into bars. But no, the last few years of Michael's life had been nothing short of tumultuous. One would think that waking up from a coma would be the 'highlight' of anyone's lifetime, but now not for Michael Alan Corrinthos Quartermaine. That was only the beginning. After he woke up, it was agreed upon by his parents that he no longer had a home with either of them. So he moved in with his paternal grandparents, now initially it was a complete disaster. Michael looked across the room at his grandparents who were consulting on a patient, he smiled brightly at them, his grandfather Alan Quartermaine, saw Michael and happily smiled and tapped Monica on the shoulder to turn around. Monica dropped her chart and together, they walked over and gave Michael a hug.

Before it, _WOW 'it' does not even begin describe the journey he took to hell and back. It's true you really discover who loves you, and who is willing to protect you when you hit rock bottom. _The relationship between Michael and his grandparents was non-existent. He was raised by his adoptive father mob boss Sonny Corrinthos and his Mother Carly Corrinthos Jax (was she even still married anymore? Honestly Michael did not know or care) Also by his uncle Jason. But how that came to be was another story for another day, and would take too long to explain. To be honest. It made him angry to even think about it.

Michael grew up being told that his grandparents only wanted to use him, and were liars. Then again, Michael grew up in the mob, he thought that he had lived this perfect life as the oldest child and namesake of mob kingpin Sonny Corrinthos and his famous mob moll Carly Corinthos and beloved G-dson and nephew to the feared and revered Jason Morgan. He lived a charmed life, the high life, nothing was ever denied to him, no gift was too excessive, his father would give him anything, he was never told no. That was until the night his life changed forever.

When his father had told him that he was leaving the mob, he was a tad bit disappointed, but his father wanted to build him a 'legit' empire. So that night Sonny took him to the coffee warehouse that night to show Michael his new enterprise. For a night that changed his life forever, it is a blur, but he was shot, and closed his eyes, and a year would pass before he would open his eyes again.

Even after he woke from the coma, he refused to blame his father, he continued to be his hero, his idol, the man he wanted to be, to follow in his footsteps and run the organization. But everything else had changed his family had changed. Michael was no longer the favorite. His father had married Claudia Zacharra in an effort to keep the peace, and his mother was pregnant with Jax's child. Michael was sent to live with his grandparents when he discovered he longer had a home with either of his parents. Initially he had been cruel, selfish, and unkind. Instead of accepting his grandparents help, he was angry at the world and it was easier to throw it back in their faces.

In short Michael was angry, he was angry that he had lost a year of his life, that his family dynamics had changed, and that everyone had moved on without him-except his grandparents. So unfortunately that made them an easy target.

Michael wanted to know who shot him and why. Not knowing that it would start a tidal wave of events that would almost end his life.

It had been Claudia, and Jax had helped cover it up and gave Jerry the information about the lax security at the warehouse that dreadful night. Jax had lied to him, his mother, brother, and to everyone. But it had been Claudia who had put out the hit on his father and Jason, and but instead he been the one to suffer that night.

The truth came out at Sonny's party, and Michael had once again been the sacrificial offering.

_Michael was about to enter Sonny's party when he was grabbed from behind. A black leather gloved hand covered his mouth as two other sets of hands tied his hands behind his back. He struggled as hard as he could, but they quickly had him bound and gagged. His wrists were tightly bound with handcuffs and ducktape was taped across his mouth, he could not escape. Claudia walked around Michael in a circle to admire her henchmen's handy work, and Michael was struggling, trying to break free. Claudia looked Michael in the eyes, he had a defiant look in his eyes . She smirked and SLAPED him across the face hard enough to leave a bruise._

"**Perfect, showtime"**

_Michael looked at her with fear and curiosity when her henchman started to drag him towards the door he was supposed to enter to give his speech. He realized what her intentions where. He was being kidnapped._

_The door BURST open _

_Claudia was dressed to kill in all black leather, and with Michael as her hostage, life was now imitating art._

_The crowd was in shock. _

_Carly tried to run to Michael and tried to save him, but Jax held her back. _

_Sonny pulled Kristina, Morgan, and Molly back behind him, and both he and Jason reached for their guns, Max and Milo were about to rush her when Claudia pulled Michael in front of her and put the gun to his head. _

"_Look what I have"_

_Sonny pulled out his gun and pointed it at Claudia but drew it back when he saw Claudia put the gun to Michael's head. _

"_What do you want Claudia, name it just let Michael go"_

_Jason had tried to sneak around the back…. "Not so fast Jason"_

"_What do I want, what do I want….I want my baby back"_

_With that Claudia shot the sprinklers, they went off spraying the crowd with a heavy streams of water, and giving her henchmen, and her hostage, a clear chance to escape. _

_The kidnapping was brutal._

_Michael was thrown into the car, and Claudia made sure to reach into his pocket and grab his cell phone. _

_Now he was officially screwed._

_The situation grew more dire as day turned to night, and then the morning light shined through the cabin windows where Michael was being held. He squinted his eyes at the bright rays, Michael was repeatedly beaten and subjected to Claudia's madness. She kept ranting and raving about her child and how it was his fault, and that he ruined everything._

_Michael could not understand anything she was raving about….until he realized that she was talking about her baby that she had miscarried, the night of the accident….except he was not driving the car that had hit her, it had been Kristina. _

_If Claudia found out that it had been Kristina, G-d knows what she would do._

_Michael saw his chance to escape, while Claudia was on another rant, he was going to push her and grab the car keys to her black escalade that were right by the front door and make a run for it. _

_He stood up, with his hands handcuffed in front of him, he made his move, Claudia hit him over the head with the gun. He was knocked out, and everything after that was a blur. _

_When he awoke, Jason was standing over him, with his father by his side. Jason was picking the locks on the handcuffs, and Sonny was cradling his son's head in his lap, relieved that he was alright. _

_His head was throbbing, his brand new suit, that he had bought just for his dad's party was ruined, torn, and covered in his blood? Jason finally unlocked the handcuffs, Michael sat up, still a little woozy from repeated blows to the head, and the lack of hydration and nourishment his body was deprived of during his captivity. Sonny and Jason helped Michael to his feet, since Claudia had stripped Michael of his suit jacket and tie early on during his captivity, he was just wearing his white button down shirt and slacks, both of which were ruined. Jason wrapped his leather jacket around Michael's shoulder's to keep him warm. Sonny and Jason were just trying to get Michael out of the cabin QUICKLY, so that they could 'take care' of things, without him realizing what had happened. But they were too late. Michael saw Claudia's body. _

_He passed out from shock everything after that was a blur._

CODE BLUE in the ER, COLD BLUE

Michael was brought back to the present when the code alarm went off, and he wished his grandparents luck as they rushed off to save a life.

Regardless of the heroic actions they would take to save that life, they were already heroes to him.

For it was his life that they had already saved from darkness and despair.

_Michael was in shock, he had killed someone, no matter how many times his dad or Jason tried to convince him that it was self defense, he could not shake the numbness or sickness in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to talk to someone to let it out, but who? His mother was in the final weeks of her risk pregnancy so she could not deal with this, Jax could not be trusted, and his dad and Jason, were too busy covering it up to have time to talk to him. Jason promised him that as soon as things settled down, then he would talk to him. _

_It was just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, and it seemed as though he was getting an early Christmas present. Olivia had gone to Sonny and revealed to him that Dominic, was really her son Dante, and that he was his father. Just when Michael has trying to settle back in to his family's ever changing dynamics after the coma, now he had lost his place has his father's first born child, and son. What made matters worse. Dante was a cop and wanted to put his father behind bars_

_Despite his mother's revelation, Dante was not going to let something like DNA stop him from performing his duties as a police detective. All of a sudden he had four siblings that now looked up to him, except Michael, Michael was not too keen of his presence. Dante knew that either Sonny or Jason or both had killed Claudia Zaccarra. Now a person was a person, but Claudia was ruthless and despite whatever actions she may have committed in life, she did not deserve to die at someone else's hand. She should have been tried and convicted for putting the hit on Sonny, when Michael was shot, and for kidnapping Michael. Sonny and Jason needed to pay for their crimes, and if it was for the murder of Claudia Zaccarra and not racketeering or running the mob then so be it. His new partner, Lucas Lorenzeo Spencer or Lucky, subsequently his girlfriend's older brother. AWKWARD. Lucky had told him that Jason had walked in and confessed to killing Claudia, and then 10 minutes later, Sonny did the same. So who killed Claudia?_

_Only one living person knew the answer to that question: Michael._

_Dante and Lucky both knew the only way they were going to get to the bottom of this was to get the truth from the victim. _

_Before Jason had turned himself, he made arraignments for Michael to continue to stay at the Quartermaine Mansion, until he could turn himself in thus distracting the police while Michael could be smuggled out of the country to Sonny's island, where he would remain until things died down._

_After Jason had brought Michael back to the Quartermaines, bruised, battered, and broken. Monica and Alan tried to reach out to him, help him through this. They even sent for his cousins, Dillon Quartermaine, Justine (Zoey) Ward, and Brooklyn Ashton. In an effort to ease his pain. Michael just wanted to close out the world, and make it all go away, for people to drop it, stop asking if he was ok, and to forget it ever happened. _

_Michael had escaped to the only place he felt safe in the entire house, Lila's garden. _

_Lucky and Dante entered the sacred ground that was Lila's garden and found Michael lying on the bench swing in the heart of the Eden itself._

_They approached him, questioned him. Honestly, they had no right to even be there defying the inner most sanctum of the Quartermaine family_

_Michael just wanted them to leave him alone. _

_Dante looked Michael in the eye "Jason and Sonny are about to be arraigned for 1__st__ degree murder of Claudia Zaccarrha." _

"_What, no but they….." Michael started to panic and hyperventilate. _

_Lucky continued they could get a life sentence Michael, if you can prove to the judge it was self defense….then…_

_Michael could not take it anymore, the lies, the cover up, he screamed at the top of his lungs: "I DID IT, ok I killed Claudia" _

_Dante and Lucky looked at each other. _

_Dante and Lucky took Michael to Sonny and Jason's arraignment_

_Dante then gave his speech before the judge about how he could not let Jason and Sonny protect Michael, and regardless of the circumstances the victim still deserved to have justice. _

"_Then I hereby charge Mr. Michael Corrinthos as an adult and remand him to custody"_

_Michael was in shock, ""No Dante promised, he said they would let me go"_

_As he was taken away Michael called out to his father and Jason._

_Lucky and Dante seemed pretty confidant that they were doing the right thing._

_Michael was processed and forced to change into an orange jumpsuit. Throughout the entire process he was numb. When he was thrown into his cell and the door slammed behind him. He could not stop shaking, he laid down on the cot and cried his eyes out._

_Michael had stayed in his cell the entire night, they were keeping him isolated for his own protection. A guard came opened his cell door Michael was terrified. Michael exited his cell._

_The guard took him into the visitation room where there were his grandparents. With them was someone he had not seen in a very long time. Justice Ward and his daughter Michael's cousin Justine (Zoey) Ward. Michael sat down in the chair and shattered in his grandparents arms as they embraced him and comforted. "8 am so sorry" "Its going to be alright, just tell us what happpened, Justice nodded to Michael to go on. Michael told Justice what happened_

"_And then she hit me, and I blacked out"_

_Justice looked at this daughter, then at Monica and Alan, they were depending on him to save their only grandchild from a fate worse than death. _

_Something was not right, from what he read in the Medical Examiner's report, the gash on Claudia's head was huge and with a full impact, there is no way that Michael already weak from his captivity, suffering from dehydration and malnourishment had the physical power to over power Claudia Zaccarra while still bound by handcuffs. _

_Justice left Michael with Alan and Monica, while he went to go see Jason. Claire Walsh the uppity lawyer who wanted to make an example of Michael and boost her career was going to get a piece of her own medicine and so were Dante and Lulu if Justice's hunch panned out. For now he had uncovered a few skeletons in the closet of Judge Caroll, that were enough to not only convince him to recuse himself but enough to also have him disrobed. _

_Justice had failed Michael in so many ways, in so many ways he had also failed AJ, he needed to rescue Michael for AJ, so that he could make amends to the cousin he let fall by the wayside. It was time for Michael to return home to the grandparents who loved him and needed him. In many ways Justice felt that Michael needed them more. _

"_Justine" Justice's daughter stepped forward, "Call your Great Grandfather, Uncle Ned, and tell them to meet me at the Mansion, I have to go see Jason"_

_Jason met Justice at the scene of the crime, what they would discover would change everything. _

_Justice had in his hands the pictures from the Medical Examiner and both he and Jason were walking through the crime scene at the Zaccara cabin because something did not sit with Justice. _

"_So according to Michael, he tried to push Claudia out of the way, and then grab the car keys and make a run for her escalade when she hit him over the head with the gun."_

_Jason could see where Justice was going with this, they had to clear Michael's name. Jason confessed to the crime and offered himself in exchange for preserving Michael's innocence and freedom. But thanks to Dante's traitorous actions Michael was now sitting in lockup, charged as an adult, and facing a Manslaughter criminal charge. What pissed Jason off is that pompus ass still felt that he did the right thing, that the courts would let Michael go. Jason and Justice knew better, between the 'confession' in open federal court and who his family was, there was no chance in hell that Michael was going to get a fair trial. Dante had pretty much ensured that Michael would do hard prison time if Jason and Justice did not save him. _

_That's was when they found it. The heel of Claudia's spiked boot. Stuck in knot in the wood in the floor and the wall right above it that had once had a blood stain, but had soaked into the wood. _

_They had the evidence they needed, Michael was in the clear. _

"_Court is now in session the honorable Judge Irene Goldberg is now preceding."_

_Michael was shaking, he was completely numb he could not even eat anything._

_Next to him sat his Uncle Justice Ward. His father had wanted Diane to represent him, but Justice insisted upon representing Michael, as did all of the Quartermaines, including Jason. _

_Justice Ward rose before the court, "your honor I would like to present a motion to dismiss on the grounds that the death of Claudia Zaccara was an accident and therefore my client cannot legally be held responsible."_

_Claire Walsh stood up with a pompus air of overconfidence, "Your honor the prosecution is prepared to proceed with the charges of criminal manslaughter in the 2__nd__ degree against the defendant Michael Corrinthos the III and will be seeking a mandatory secntance of 2-5 years in prison"_

"_Wait , what" Michael started to panic. Justice tried to calm him down as did Monica and Alan who were sitting behind him. _

"_Your honor, the confession that the prosecution is so confident of is non-invoid and was illegally obtained as my client, was not read his rights or granted legal council. Not to mention he is a minor, and without a legal guardian present, any statement made is inadmissible in court." _

"_Is that true Miss Walsh, Was the confession obtained, without a legal guardian, legal council being present and was he read his rights and or advised to contact legal council? "_

_Suddenly the confidence and air was out of Claire Walsh_

"_Your honor"_

"_Yes or No Miss Walsh", Judge Goldberg was growing impatient_

_Justice was on a roll and continued, "furthermore your honor the detective that turned my client in not only denied him is legal rights, but also has a questionable service, and his own agenda." Judge Goldberg looked at Dante and motioned for Justice to continue "I have an IAB report, that in 2007 his police issued fire arm went missing and so did a mobster by the name of Alexander Yanachek, whose body was recently discovered …in a bog 2 miles from where the detective grew up. Killed by a police issued 9 MM. We have yet to recover the Detective's gun"_

_The color drained out of Dante's face. _

_Claire Walsh looked at Justice Ward, and was willing to make any deal just to get something out of this. _

"_Okay, ummmm 2 years in a juvenile detention facility_

"_Approach your honor"_

"_You may"_

_Justice handed Judge Goldberg the pictures that he had taken at the Zaccara cabin, the crime scene. _

_Claire Walsh kept trying._

"_He does 18 months in a juvenile facility 3 years' probation"n_

_Michael looked to Justus for guidance _

_"No, deal, he did not commit a crime, therefore, Michael will not be punished like a criminal"_

_Now that he had them on the run it was time to drive it home_

_"Your honor in the prosecutions rush to convict and over confidence in my clients so called confession, they seem to have overlooked key evidence that would exonerate my client and prove that this was an accident and my client is merely an innocent victim of circumstance."_

_Claire Walsh saw the evidence photos from what appeared to be the crime scene and made one last attempt towards Michael, "6 months in juvy no record 1 year probation" Last night when Michael was staring at 5 years locked up at Pentonville federal prison he would have taken that deal in a heart beat, but now he was not sure. He turned around and looked at his grandparents. His grandfather Alan Quartermaine shook his head with confidence. In his mind they were not leaving this courtroom without Michael. This time Michael was going home with them._

"_Your Honor, as you can see by the evidence gathered by the private CSI team I hired [shooting glances at Claire Walsh and Dante Falconari] considering the police and district attorney's office felt that they did not have need for REAL evidence against my client."_

"_Again, Miss Walsh are you trying to turn my court into a kangaroo court, illicit confessions, covering up evidence, and now failure to follow procedure?"_

"_Continue Mr. Ward, I am sure the Bar Association will be very interested to hear your findings."_

_Claire knew if she did not act quickly her career was over, she rose to her feet, the fight was over. _

"_In light of new evidence the prosecution would like to drop the charges against Michael Corrinthos the III."_

_Judge Goldberg, knew that she could just smash her gavel, and drop the charges, and given the look of emotional and physical exhaustion on the face of the young defendant, she knew that he could not take much more. But this boy still deserved to have his name cleared of any wrongdoing to avoid a possible mob retaliation. Another reason she was angry at Miss. Walsh and Mr. Falconari, by their actions, they had now pulled this young boy into a mob war, and a possible casualty of violence. _

_Justus Ward, knew it was over but he wanted to clear Michael of any wrong doing, and make sure that EVERYONE knew that Michael was not responsible for Claudia's death. _

"_Your these pictures show that Claudia Zaccara was not hit over the head by my client or anyone else" I enter these pictures into evidence as evidence 3 and this," What appeared to be the spike of a leather boot in an evidence bag. "As evidence 4" The judge looked the pictures and as the spiked heal and the answer was as clear as night and day"_

_Justus continued, "Your honor given the force of impact in the cranium, and the height of Ms. Zaccara, plus given that my client was not only physically restrained, beaten, deprived of food and water for over 48 hours, not to mention that she towered over my client by 6 inches with the leather spiked heal boots she was wearing at the time, it is physically impossible for my client to have committed this crime."_

"_When Ms. Zacarra took her gun and hit my client over the head, her spiked heel was caught in one of the knots in the wood, it snapped and then she fell back."_

_Judge Goldberg reviewed the crime scene evidence and looked at the prosecution, "Given the evidence just submitted to the court, I find the cause of death of Claudia Zaccara was accidental and therefore Mr. Michael Corrinthos III is not responsible for her death." _

_[Michael breathed a HUGE sigh of relief] _

_Furthermore, I hereby order that he be released, and his record be expunged. Let the record show that he has been fully exonerated"_

_Michael looked back at Monica who was sitting behind him and rubbing soothing circles into his back to calm him. Her love for him despite all of his stupid mistakes, for trusting Dante and perhaps Sonny when he should have put his true faith in his family, was his greatest comfort right now. He whispers to Monica through his tears "I am so sorry for everything, I said, for hurting you and Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather, when all you have ever done is love me. I don't deserve you." By now he is hyperventilating, Monica stands up with Alan right beside her and whispers in his ear, "We would never stop loving you, no matter what, we never gave up on you, that one day you would come home" Monica nuzzled Michael, and he nuzzled back. Even though the circumstances were awful, Michael had never felt so loved and protected. Michael looked back at the judge._

"_The District Attorney's office rushed to prosecute you in effort to strike at the heart of the Corrinthos Morgan criminal organization." Jason and Sonny both clinched their fists and grit their teeth at the thought of someone, anyone using Michael to hurt them. "Growing up in the mob has brought your life nothing but chaos, and heartache and now it seems your parents have finally done something right by giving you the chance to know your true family. And I hope now you can see that in your darkest hour who your true family is and how much they love you and will stand by you." Michael looked back at his grandparents sitting behind him who were now breathing a sigh of relief that he was now free and the nightmare was finally over. "Therefore in an effort to return you to your rightful place, give you the fresh start you truly need, I return you to the custody of your grandparents." "May they continue to guide you on the path of good and righteousness"_

_" I grant you a 2nd chance. Young Mr. Corrinthos, you leave my courtroom, with a clear conscious and fully exonerated of any wrongdoing. May you seize it Young man it is a gift you will not get twice." The guard removed the cuffs and Michael was free. Michael turned around and embraced Monica and Alan. Michael looked down at his clothes, he was still wearing a prison uniform, he was ashamed. Alan could sense Michael's hurt, cupped his face with his hands, and kissed his beloved grandson on the forehead. And whispered to him that they had brought him a spare change of clothes, and that he could go in the bathroom and change. They led him out of the court house, and Michael went in to the bathroom to change into the pair of denim jeans, a white cotton long sleeve shirt, and a dark blue cashmere sweater. His cousin Dillon Quartermaine, had helped him get to his feet and helped usher him out of the courtroom. _

"_I am going to go help Michael get changed" Michael just nodded with a grateful look on his face towards his older his cousin."_

_Monica and Alan gratefully shook Justus's hand, thanking him for all of his help, in setting their beloved grandson free. Justus told them that there were some forms that they would have fill out to make Michael's release official, in addition to collecting the clothes and property that were on his person's at the time of his arrest. _

Dillon led Michael into the bathroom so that he could change in private without an audience. Michael threw the prison uniform he had been wearing in to the garbage he was never going to wear it again. Dillon pushed it down further into the garbage can, making the point clear. While Michael was changing, Dillon heard someone try to enter the bathroom. Dillon went to check while Michael finished getting dressed and have a few moments to himself to decompress all that had happened.

On the other side of the bathroom door Lucky and Dante were trying to enter. To talk to Michael, to apologize for all that happened. Dillon stopped them they were NEVER going to come near his young cousin. Again.

Alan and Monica drove Michael home, home, it never sounded so good.

The other Conditions of his release, were that he had to live with his grandparents, go to school, and perform community service. When Monica saw that Michael was spending more and more time at the mansion exceedingly isolated Monica suggested joining the youth paramedic core. Alan, Monica, and Michael bonded while they helped him study to learn material. They discover he has an aptitude for medicine and helping people, the ability to keep a good head on his shoulder and keep his nerve during a crisis.

Also Michael only allowed to have limited contact with Sonny or Carly, but his grandparents make an exception for Jason.

Dillon, Zoey, and Brooklyn had decided to stay in town to be there for their younger cousin, Michael. It is to Dillon that Michael breaks down tells what really happened how Claudia kidnapped him threatened to kill him and his siblings, and reveals that he is worried that if he gets too close to his grandparents they will realize just how damaged he is and will not want him anymore. Monica and Alan overhear them and hear the hurt, pain and suffering in Michael's voice. It is at that moment the three of them have a breakthrough in their relationship. They are his grandparents not his jailers, and Michael finally realizes that. From that moment no holds bar, nothing is sacred, everything is shared. They spend the whole night talking they told him the truth about AJ and the custody battle and how hard they tried to be apart of his life, but were constantly pushed away, even by Jason. They took him up to the attic, where they showed him all of his baby things that they had kept and all of the presents that they had bought him for Christmas and Birthdays that had been sent back every time, but they did not have the heart to return. Michael is taken back by how much his parents have kept from him.

Knowing the truth and discovering how his mother lied about Jax's death and sent his beloved little brother to military school, had tarnished the once unbreakable relationship with his parents.

Michael may have been only 20 years old. But he felt like he had lived 1000 lifetimes. Since the Claudia incident though, Michael had been single, his grandparents had repeatedly tried setting him up on blind dates or ELQ events with a +1 attached. But every time he either snuck back into the house so that he could avoid their good intentioned interrogation or stayed out, wandering out Port Charles to make them think that everything went great, then come up with an excuse later on when they would never go out again.

It felt like everyone in Port Charles had watched his entire life play out as if it were a movie, except it wasn't it was real life. His. At least sometimes it was.

Being a full time College student in his Junior year at PCU majoring in Business and Biology, working at ELQ, at General Hospital as a paramedic, plus his traditional duties as a Quartermaine, filled his time completely, which made him happy, because it helped him forget that aside from his cousins and siblings, he did not really socialize with people his own age.

And so began his journey of self discovery that had led him here, to spending his Friday night's filling out paperwork at General Hospital.

Unbeknownst to Michael someone else on a journey of self discovery was on their way to Port Charles.

For Starr, when she got to LA Her pop star dreams burst like bubble gum and Rick Powers who was supposed to make her a STARR actually tried to force her to do some pretty unscrupulous things such as nudity, lewed publicity stunts, and then tried to steal money from her. After that Starr said that was it, she was leaving LA. When she heard her parents were moving to Port Charles to buy the newspaper and their company was going to do business with ELQ. Her father gave her little room for argument, bring Hope here, they will watch her, she can intern at their new company, attend Port Charles University, get real resume experience, have a career in the family business while she figured out what she really wants to do. She agreed picked herself up and move to Port Charles

For the first time she was single it was just her and Hope, and that did not look like that was going to end anytime soon.

So now we return to THAT night, when fate brought a handsome prince and a shining Starr together.

GENERAL HOSPITAL February 27, 2012 (It's late)

'With Time heals all Wounds', or least that is what the proverb said, but for Dante and Michael it was acceptance. Accept that they were now brothers and make peace for Morgan's sake, Michael knew that he was going to need Dante's help when Michael was going to bring Morgan home, behind Carly's back.

Michael missed his little brother, and wanted to bring him home, thanks to his cousin Justine Ward (Zoey) who had graduated from Cornell and passed the bar, together they were going to make it possible. _Hang on little brother, I will bring you home soon_

Michael was pulled back into reality by the radio that was attached to him belt. _"Dispatch to Paramedic Corinthos-Quartermaine," _Michael reached for his radio, "_Paramedic responds_", "Paramedic, next team arrived early, your done for tonight" Michael sighed and responded "Paramedic out and off duty" Michael sighed and handed his radio off to charge Nurse Epiphany.

Michael was exhausted there was no way he was going to be able to drive home, sounds like another night in the on call room.

Dante Falconari was watching his little brother from afar, their relationship had been tumultuous from the start, and he had done nothing to help it. It had already been a long night, his father had been shot protecting him, Robin had almost been killed in an explosion, thankfully Patrick pulled her out in time, and it turns out that Johnny Zaccara is Anthony's grandson not son. WOW it really had been long night, and his younger brother looked like he could fall asleep at that very moment.

Dante came up behind Michael and patted him on the back waking him up, "Come on, I'll drive you home"

"Sure let's take my car, I think yours just became a crime scene"

"Note to self, have car reupholstered after taking wounded father to hospital."

"Come on let's go"

MEANWHILE…..

Starr was driving Hope to where she was going to meet her father in Port Charles when a bright light appeared in front of her abstracting her vision,

A Bright light then nothing…

Michael and Dante were driving home from a VERY long night when they came upon the crash site. Michael went to Starr first, he then managed to climb back in the car via the passenger side, using his body weight to leverage the car so that the car would tilt to the left away from the edge. After examining the scene Michael's first prerogative was to get the little girl, Hope out of the car. Michael unbuckled her from her car seat, and pulled her out, Hope reached for Michael and linked her arms around his neck, holding him tight never letting go.

Holding Hope just a little bit tighter, Michael escaped out of the car with Hope in his arms. Just as they reached safety, Cole closed his eyes for the last time. And the car tumbled over the edge. Michael watched it fall and burst into flames.

Michael took off his jacket and wrapped it around Hope who was screaming and sitting next to her mommy. Wanting her to wake up.

Michael was now responsible for them.

Michael picked up Hope and put her in the back seat of his car, luckily he still had one of Josslyn's car seats in his trunk. Lately Michael had been picking the slack after it seemed like Carly was leaving Joslyn with the nanny more often than not. Mercedes had complained to him that she was repeatedly being asked to stay late sometimes overnight, when Carly did not come home care for Joss more than 12 hours a day. Michael was furious so he often would check in with Mercedes and pick up Joss from day care, play dates, and trips to the park. Sometimes he wondered who was the parent and who was the child. It had been months since he had heard from Morgan, and it was beginning to worry him. Michael had promised himself that if Carly did not bring Morgan home, he would take legal action, and approach his grandparents for their support for him to petition for custody of his little brother and to have Morgan live with them. Michael put Hope in the car seat and then went back for Starr. He put Starr in the passenger seat _g-d did she look beautiful like the girl from his dream…..wait the girl and the toddler, from his dream, it was just too real._

Michael drove to General Hospital, Dante stayed back to wait for backup and survey the scene.

Michael walked into the hospital carrying Starr and Hope,

"WE NEED A DOCTOR HERE NOW"


End file.
